Click the  Message icon on the right side of the candidate's profile card.

• If the candidate is a 1st-degree connection, a member who has enabled Open Profile, or a job applicant, the Free to InMail indicator next to their name in the Compose Message window shows the message is free.
• If the candidate is a 2nd-degree or 3rd-degree connection, or an out-of-network member, an indicator next to their name will show that an InMail credit will be used. Note: Recruiter Lite users can't message out-of-network members.
• If you have the candidate’s email address saved on their profile, a dropdown at the top of the message window appears. You can select Send via E-mail to send an email instead of a message.
• You may come across a profile where the option to send a message isn't available because the candidate can opt out of receiving InMail messages using their personal settings.

Optional: In the Search for a template field at the top of the Compose Message window, search for a template to use.

Add a subject and compose your message in the required fields.

Optional: Click the  Edit icon next to your signature. Your signature can be a maximum of 150 characters.

Optional: Click the  Variables icon and select a variable that will populate in the subject line or message body when you send a message. Click the  Preview icon at the bottom of the message window to view how your personalized variables will populate in the message. You can select from the following variables:

• {firstName}: The variable for the candidate’s first name
• {lastName}: The variable for the candidate’s last name
• {fullName}: The variable for the candidate’s full name
• {projectJobTitle}: The variable for the project’s job title (job post specific)
• {projectCompany}: The variable for the company name (job post specific)
• {projectLocation}: The variable for the project location (job post specific)
• {jobPostLink}: The variable for the job post link (job post specific)

Note: A candidate must be added to your project to use job post specific variables. If the candidate is in a project with a closed job, the variable {jobPostLink} won't be available. 

Optional: Click the  Attachment icon to add up to 5 attachments. The total size of all your message attachments can't exceed 2MB. If you want to remove an attachment, click the  Cancel icon next to the attachment to remove it before you send your message. You can attach the following file types:

• CSV
• XLS
• XLSX
• DOC
• DOCX
• PDF
• TXT
• RTF
  

Optional: Click the  Calendar icon to set up an availability link. This feature is available in Recruiter only.

Optional: Click the  Projects icon to set the visibility preference for your message. This feature is available in Recruiter only.

Optional: Click the  Message Insights icon to view tips about the candidate to help you draft an effective message.

Optional: Click the  Settings icon above the subject line and complete the required fields to schedule the message to be sent at a specific time.

Optional: Click the  Follow-up icon at the bottom of the message and complete the required fields to send a scheduled follow-up message. By default, a follow-up message is sent 7 days after the initial message. Click the  Settings icon to change the sending options.

• Note: Follow-up messages are available in Recruiter only.

Click Send.

Sign into or download the Recruiter mobile app.

Tap the  Message icon on a candidate's profile.

Search for a template or tap Skip to draft your message.

Add a subject and compose your message. If you’d like to use a message template, tap Use a template at the bottom of the message.

Optional: Tap the  Edit icon next to your signature. Your signature can be a maximum of 150 characters.

Optional: Tap the  Attachment icon to add an attachment.

Optional: Tap the  Variables icon to select automatic variables that populate when you send a message. Tap the  Preview icon at the bottom of the message window to view how your personalized variables will populate in the message. You can select from the following variables:

• {firstName}: The variable for the candidate’s first name
• {lastName}: The variable for the candidate’s last name
• {fullName}: The variable for the candidate’s full name

Optional: Tap the  Schedule icon at the bottom of the message to schedule the message to be sent at a specific time.

Tap Send.